Tag: triathlon transition

Want to shave a minute or more off your duathlon time without much effort? Master your transition. With a seamless, speedy transition, you can get a jump on your competitors and place a few notches higher in your age group. If you’re trying to qualify for Team USA, every place matters.

The duathlon transition is less cumbersome than triathlon—no wetsuit to peel off, no wet clothes. Helmet, shoes and bike are your three key components to master. Here, age group aces (and one pro) from across the United States and Europe share their tips for a faster transition.

Alistair Eeckman, professional athlete, Berkeley, CA

“Practice, practice and practice will help you improve your T1 and T2 times. I prefer to use rubber bands on my cycling shoes. Like this video shows, for example.” (Read more about Alistair here)

Albert Harrison, Moscow, Iowa

“Practice at home and rehearse on race morning by running through the transition area. Running out barefoot may give you a fast T1 split, but if you’re fumbling with your shoes while you’re getting going on your bike, you’re likely to lose some time.”

“Be sure to look at the last half mile of the bike course and make a note of when it would be safest/fastest/easiest to get your feet out of your bike shoes. If it’s uphill or technical, it may be best to dismount and run in to T2 with your bike shoes on. Click, clack…”

Jim Girand, Palo Alto, CA

“Get power straps [for your bike] and wear your racing flats. With training they will be just as good as cycling shoes.”

Wolf Hillesheim, El Sobrante, CA

“Make sure your bike is in the right gear when you mount. In sprint races, use the [Power Grips] or Pyro Platforms—if you can find them! Then you can use your racing flats—no bike shoes. It’s quicker, and there’s less chance of cramping on the second transition.” (Read more about Wolf here)

Steve Fung, Orinda, CA

“Little things matter in the bike transition. I always try to ride my bike before setting up in T2. Make sure the wheels are smooth, no rubbing. Check skewers a couple times to not stress about it when racing. Make sure brakes are pulling correctly and air pressure feels right.

“Shift through gears a couple times to make sure rings and cassette shift smooth. Make sure it’s in the right gear for a speedy departure and crank arm is at the three o’ clock position.

“Make sure your helmet fits comfortably—check straps and clip. Make sure glasses are the right tint. I have a couple different tints depending on terrain and lighting. I frequently use high-contrast yellow for shadowy rides. Make sure water bottles are tight in cage, bottles open, and tool kit [if you carry one] is in place and complete.”

Claire Steels, Steels Fitness, Mallorca

“Practice makes perfect. Look for an easy way to spot your bike, such as a tree or bin. Make sure you leave your bike in an easy gear—you only make that mistake once!”

I use my bright orange spike bag in transition. If I can remember what row I’m in, then the orange bag makes my bike easier to spot.

“Keep it simple. The less you have to do, the quicker you will be. Lay everything flat: race belt, helmet with straps open, shoes… Also, run through transition mentally on race morning when you set up your transition area.”

Pamela Semantik, Cleveland, OH

“I do not do a flying mount or dismount. I have seen all kinds of bad stuff happen, and it’s beyond my skill level. The way I see it, if I take a couple extra seconds to dismount the way I know how, I may have just saved myself some time (and embarrassment, and possibly injury) if I flub the flying dismount.”

Angie Ronsettler-Ridgel, Cleveland, OH

“I use a ‘cross dismount technique after I get my feet out of the shoes. I have not perfected the shoeless remount, so I put my cycling shoes on in transition.”

Want to shave 30 seconds off your duathlon time without training, and without spending a week’s wages on gear? Improve your transition.

Just like we train to run and ride faster, we should also train to transition faster. I know it’s boring. And people stare at you like a loon when you hop around in your driveway or in front of your apartment building. I’ve been there! But consistent practice on the simple art of putting on a bike helmet and switching from running to cycling shoes will save you precious seconds in your next race.

My beautiful bike, the MAGIC BULLET, ready to go in transition.

USA Triathlon published a comprehensive article on how to master the fast duathlon transition. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I guide you to it here.

Note: one common tip is to keep your cycling shoes attached to your bike. When you finish your first run, slip off your shoes, run barefoot or sock-footed to the mount line, and mount the bike cyclocross style. I’ve watched elites do this. Do I do this? Heck no. I’m clumsy and scared of biting it on the pavement. In time, maybe I’ll get up my nerve to practice this trick, but for now, I practice changing my shoes very quickly.

My shoes, not clipped into the MAGIC BULLET, but ready for me to get into them quickly.

For added edge, you could invest in Pyro Platform pedals. Pyro pedals resemble toe clips, but with a longer and stiffer base. Fans say they save loads of time in transition with little to no loss of power. I’ve seen everyone from professional sprint-distance athletes to top-ranking age groupers use them. They eliminate the flying-mount-crash risk, which may be worth the investment!

Suzanne Cordes, Pyro pedals user.

For an upgrade from running shoes with Lock Laces, Pierce Footwear introduced the first laceless, sockless, tongueless running shoe for duathlon and triathlon. Pierce Footwear claims you can get in and out of the shoe faster than traditional shoes with elastic laces. They retail for about $130—about the same as a pair of Hokas.

Do you have any speedy transition tips? Tell us in the comments below!